


Watson and Holmes X2: A New Problem

by LunaShakespeare19



Series: Watson and Holmes x2 [2]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Established Relationship, Established Sherlock Holmes/Molly Hooper, F/M, Fake Character Death, Family, Father-Daughter Relationship, Fluff, Married Mary Morstan/John Watson, Mortson, OOC Sherlock Holmes, Parentlock, Past Drug Use, Protective John Watson, Protective Sherlock Holmes, Romance, Sherlock Holmes Has Feelings, Sherlock Holmes Has a Heart, Sherlolly - Freeform, mythea, the game is a foot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:07:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25443643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunaShakespeare19/pseuds/LunaShakespeare19
Summary: Everything was perfect at 221B Baker Street; Moriaty was gone, John and Mary were married and expecting and to make things even better Molly was moving in. Everything was perfect and nothing could ruin Kate's mood. That is until Mycroft comes clean about a secret he has kept her whole life, completely throwing a spanner in the works. As Kate navigates her new reality, the family faces new challenges and we see just how strong a father daughter bond can be.
Relationships: Anthea/Mycroft Holmes, Mary Morstan/John Watson, Sherlock Holmes & John Watson, Sherlock Holmes & Original Female Character(s), Sherlock Holmes/Molly Hooper
Series: Watson and Holmes x2 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1842814
Comments: 10
Kudos: 19





	1. The Wedding

It was a beautiful sunny day, perfect for a wedding. The ceremony had just finished, and the happy couple was taking pictures outside before they all headed over to the reception. Sherlock Holmes had never been much for weddings, or social gatherings in general, but so far, he was finding this one to be tolerable. Maybe it was because it was the wedding of two of his closest friends or perhaps it was the presence of his girlfriend and daughter. He was so distracted by the two of them, admiring their beauty in the sunshine, that he didn’t realize someone was talking to him. 

“Famous Sherlock Holmes.” Janine, a bridesmaid, said. “Looked forward to meeting you, but no sex.”

“Sorry?” He flustered. 

“You know; the best man and the bridesmaid.” 

“Yeah, I’m actually with someone; yellow dress.” He gestured to where Molly stood, and Janine quickly apologized and backed off. Kate then called him over to have his picture taken with the two of them. He joined the two and Kate positioned herself in between the couple, wrapping her arms around them. Molly wore a bright yellow dress and ribbon in her hair, while Kate wore a dark green dress that was longer in the back and she had her hair tied into a high ponytail. While they had their picture taken, he briefly wondered if his own wedding might be like this. They had only been together for over six months, but if he was going to do it with anyone, it would be Molly. Eventually, they all moved to the reception hall and the wedding party greeted the guests. Kate stood to the side, enjoying the flowers when she noticed a particular guest, one of Mary’s, look terrified of Sherlock for a second while he dogged Mary’s attempt at a hug.

“What did you do?” She whispered to Sherlock. 

“What was necessary.” He replied. 

“I knew you should have been supervised.” She shook her head and went to get a drink. 

Sometime later after some more guests had arrived, including Mycroft and Anthea, they all sat down for the meal, and soon it was time for the speeches. Sherlock’s speech had been, interesting, to say the least. After a rocky start where he insulted the vicar and the other bridesmaids, he actually brought a few tears to people’s eyes, particular Molly and Mrs. Hudson, when he talked about how lucky John was to have Mary and how he didn’t expect to ever be anyone’s friend let alone a best friend. It was certainly the highlight of the reception, well that and the waltz he composed for them, or perhaps it was when Sherlock helped the newlyweds realize they were expecting. When a slow song came on, Molly and Sherlock gently swayed to the music, holding each other close. 

“I’ve been thinking.” He told her.

“Nothing new there.” She teased, not moving her head from his chest. 

“Maybe you should officially move in.”

“Really?” She asked, looking up at him. 

“Well, I want you there and so does Kate, we talked about it a few days ago.” He explained. “Half your stuff is already there, makes sense when you think about it. Please say yes.” 

“Yes, it does.” She turned to look over at Kate who was sitting at one of the tables, playing on her phone. She looked up and smiled at Molly, that one little smile helped everything fall into place. 

“I’d love to.” She told him with confidence. 

“I love you.” He told her, the words coming so easy to him.

“I love you too.” She moved to kiss him, sealing the deal.  
Across the dance floor, Anthea and Mycroft were also gently swaying to the music. They reminisced about their own wedding day as they held each other close. Despite her smile, Mycroft could tell something was on her mind, he didn’t have to ask what it was. 

“You’re not lying to them by knowing the truth.” He pointed out. “It’s like what we do at work; what they don’t know won’t hurt them.” 

“It feels like I am lying, when will you tell him?” 

“She’s still in London, has been for over a fortnight but she hasn’t made a move to contact them. I need to get to her first, once I know then I’ll maybe I will say something.” He explained, kissing her forehead when the song came to an end, and a faster one played. Kate got up from her seat and moved to join Sherlock and Molly on the dance floor. The three of them happily spinning around, not a care in the world. 

It was then that Anthea truly understood her husband’s refusal to tell them the truth. She herself didn’t know the full story, only that Sarah and Mycroft made a deal that meant she would stay out of London and never contact any of them. He wanted to protect Kate and Sherlock’s happiness, it had just been the two of them long before Sarah supposedly died. The two of them in that little bubble of theirs, soon that bubble expanded to include Molly, John, and Mary. How would Molly feel if Sarah was alive? She was practically Kate’s mother at this point, and she’d wager there would be another wedding before too long. 

“If you can get her to leave, then they never need to know right?” She asked Mycroft. 

“The truth will die with us.” He assured her.

“Very morbid Love.” She teased. “But that’s good, can’t let the bubble burst.”

“I always told him not to get involved.”/p>

“Then what do you call this?” she teased, taking his hand in hers and holding them up, her ring shining in the disco lights. 

“Inevitable.” He answered before kissing her soundly. 

The night soon came to an end and the guest slowly made their way home. By midnight, the newlyweds were swaying to the soft music, oblivious to their remaining guests. Kate was practically passed out, with her head on Sherlock’s shoulder. Sherlock looked at his daughter and then to the corner of the room where Molly was talking with Lestrade. He couldn’t believe this was his life right now; he was at his best friend’s wedding and he would soon be going home with his girlfriend and daughter. For the longest time, he thought it would just be him and Kate, but now they were a little family of five, soon to be six. Once Molly had said goodnight to Lestrade she came back to the table and Sherlock wrapped his free arm around Molly. They sat like that for a few minutes until Kate woke up and they all decided to head home. They said their goodbyes to John and Mary, who thanked them for coming and for his speech. They called a cab and Sherlock helped Molly with her coat, Kate watched the two and gave a knowing smile. 

“You asked her to move in.” She said. 

“And she said yes.” Sherlock said. 

“Does this mean we have a cat now?” 

“I hadn’t thought of that.” Sherlock mumbled, seeming to forget about the cat. 

“Well the cat and I are a package deal.” Molly explained, with a serious expression.

“We’ll make it work.” He assured her. “If you can handle a teenager, I can handle a cat.” 

“You make it seem like I’m the difficult one. If she can live with you, you can live with Toby.” 

“Maybe I should reconsider.” Molly thought. Kate and Sherlock exchanged a worried look and quickly pushed her out the venue, into the waiting cab, talking about how it was too late and how they had already started packing her stuff. Molly laughed at their antics and stared out the window, happy to be going home.


	2. The truth comes out

It had been a week since John and Mary’s wedding and 221B had officially become the Hooper- Holmes residence. It had taken so little time to move all her stuff in Molly did not have a chance to rethink her decision (not that she would of course). Toby was happy in his new home, moving between flats whenever he wanted a snack or a cuddle from Mrs Hudson when one of the other residents were busy. Molly’s colourful jumpers hanging next to Sherlock’s suit, her lemon bodywash on the same shelf as Kate’s coconut shampoo. She blended so well into their home and their lives. It had only been a week, but the three were working so well together in their new living arrangement, that you would think they had been living together for years. 

“You’re on the nightshift tomorrow, right?” Sherlock asked one morning while he poured Molly a coffee while she read the paper. 

“Yes, I have to cover for Sam.” 

“Again, really?” He shook his head. Molly had covered for him a few times, as it seemed his girlfriend didn’t like him working in the lab late at night when he could be spoiling her. 

“Not everyone has such an accepting partner when it comes to nightshifts.” Molly said, putting away the paper and giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. 

“Want me to bring some dinner?”

“Yes please.” She leaned over and gave him another kiss but this time on the lips which he happily returned. He could definitely get used to this every morning. 

“Morning.” Kate called coming in, causing them to break apart, Molly with a red face and Sherlock with a smug grin. Despite it being only a week, Kate had seen so many kisses and tender moments that she was used to it by now. It was nice seeing her dad smile for something that wasn’t to do with murder. She sat down and Sherlock passed her a plate of toast and some tea. 

The three of them talked about what they had going on that day; while Molly and Kate had work and school, Sherlock would be staying in and doing some experiments on body parts Molly had brought him, as there seemed to be a lack of interesting cases at the moment. When it was time to leave, Molly and Kate gave him a goodbye kiss before leaving, which left Sherlock in a pretty good mood. 

That good mood lasted a few hours until his brother showed up unannounced. When he saw the familiar car pull up in front of the flat, Sherlock began playing a string of sharp notes that resembled nails being dragged down a blackboard. He didn’t stop until Mycroft sat down in John’s old chair with an expression of extreme discomfort. 

“I was happy until you showed up.” Sherlock said, taking a seat. 

“Funny, that’s how I felt when you were born.”

“Haha, what do you want?”

“I see Miss Hooper has moved in.” Mycroft stated, looking around the room and noticing the little changes Molly had made, some of her photos were on the mantle and her medical textbooks on the shelf. 

“Yes and we’re all very happy, now what do you want?” 

“And Kate is happy with the arrangement?”

“She loves Molly and loves having her here, spit it out already.” He demanded, getting impatient with his brother’s stalling. 

“I need to tell you something and before I do, I want you to know I did it because I thought it would be best for everyone.” Mycroft explained softly, making Sherlock anxious. He had never seen his brother this nervous before. 

“What have you done?”

“You remember the night Sarah died? I called you and said I would take care of everything so you could be with Kate.” He began. 

“Do I remember the night my daughter’s mother died? I’m not sure.” His tone was sarcastic, but his mind went back to that day. 

It had been a good day; there was a chilly breeze, so Kate was wrapped up in her matching hat and scarf. It had just been the two of them, Sherlock talking to her about some cases he had worked, and she babbled along as if she could understand him. His little consulting detective in the making. That night he got the call, he had just put Kate to bed. After he and Mycroft hung up, he looked in on her and saw she was still fast asleep, oblivious. 

“Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit.” Mycroft scolded, bringing him back to the present. “What I’m trying to tell you is that I lied; she didn’t.”

“She didn’t what?”

“Sarah didn’t die, I saw an opportunity and I took it.” 

Sherlock got out of his seat and started to pace the room, running his hands through his hair. He felt like his brain was short-circuiting. It wouldn’t make sense if he was telling the truth, but a lie would make even less sense. A lie that he would have kept for over a decade, a whole lifetime. 

“What do you mean opportunity?” He finally spoke. 

“Sarah did overdose, they were able to resuscitate her, but this was after I called you. I made a deal with her.”

“What deal?” Sherlock asked through gritted teeth. 

“She would leave London and never try to contact you or Kate. I believed it to be the best for everyone.” Mycroft explained calmly. 

“You had no right to do that.” 

“Sarah wasn’t suited to be a mother, you said so yourself.” Mycroft argued.

“Kate still could have had a mother. I got better she could have.”

“Were you really willing to take that chance? She didn’t exactly put up much of a fight when I presented the option to her.”

“You had no right, I should have been the one to decide if Sarah was in Kate’s life. I was hardly the model of parenthood at the start.” 

“No one ever is.” Mycroft argued. “But you cared, she never did, we all saw it.”

“This was too far, you crossed a line.”

“I’m sorry.” He really seemed to mean it. 

“Why now?”

“She seems to be back in London.”

“I’m going to kill you.”

“That would be very aspirational of you.”

“I’m sure Anthea would help me.” Sherlock stopped in front of the window, looking down at the street. Suddenly his cozy flat, the home he shared with his daughter and the woman he loved, became stuffy and he couldn’t breathe. Without a word, he grabbed his coat and left the flat, leaving his brother in his chair. 

Once he heard the front door slam, Mycroft buried his face in his hands. He sat there for a moment, feeling sorry for himself for the first time in many years. Anthea said this would happen, right down to the pacing and the storming out. He knew he needed to call someone as this could very well be a danger night, normally he would think of John or even Molly, but this situation required a different touch. He pulled out his phone and called the first number.

“Has he stormed out?” His wife asked in way of greeting. Mycroft sighed. 

“Yes, I’m worried.” He confessed. 

“I’ll find him.” She promised. “Does he know I know?”

“No, I didn’t get that far.” 

“Well, I’ll take care of that.” She was quiet for a moment and he could hear a distant tapping in the background. “I’ve got him.”

“Where is he?” Mycroft asked, his mind already conjuring up dark images of crack houses and dodgy alleyways. 

“He appears to be buying chips.” A hint of relief on her voice, it seemed she was thinking the same as her husband. “I fancy some myself now.” And with that, she hung up the phone and headed out.


	3. Chips

Sherlock’s arm was inching, or at least a particular spot on his arm. He was sitting on a bench in the park, his coat next to him and his sleeves rolled up, as he suddenly felt very hot. His fingers traced the letters inked into his arm. 

It was his father who first suggested he get the tattoo. They were sitting in the garden; his parents, Anthea, Kate, and himself. His mother and Anthea were sitting on a blanket playing with some bubbles that Kate seemed to find hilarious, while he and his father were sitting in chairs, soaking up the sun. His father had noticed him scratching his arm where the needle marks where. He suggested the tattoo as a way of reminding him how far he had come and what he had to lose. Sarah had some tattoos when he asked her about them, she said there was no real meaning just that she thought they looked nice, some she couldn’t actually remember getting. 

“Sherlock?” A voice called behind him. He turned and saw Anthea standing behind him, carrying two coffees and another portion of chips. She sat next to him and handed him one of the coffees as a peace offering. 

“Did you know?” He asked, taking a sip of the coffee. 

“Only a few weeks, I saw some surveillance pictures by mistake.” She said, popping a chip into her mouth. “He hasn’t told me much; only that he gave her a deal and she seems to have broken it.”

“Something must have gone wrong or he wouldn’t have told me in the first place.”

“He told me at the wedding that if she didn’t leave, he would, she must be being stubborn.”

“And you all think she gets it from me.” Sherlock sighed, eating some of his own chips. “You want to know something?”

“Go on.” She prompted. 

“I don’t hate her, most people think I do but I don’t.” He confessed. 

“I don’t blame you. I always wondered how such a dislikeable woman could have such a sweet child, but she was still her mother.” Anthea said, thinking back to the handful of interactions she had had with Sarah. She had made it clear she didn’t want to be a mother, but she seemed reluctant to make that the permanent arrangement. Some days she’d want to see her and others she didn’t seem to care. She wondered why Sherlock didn’t just get a court order, but he said he wanted to give her a chance. 

“It’s not just that; she’s part of Kate. She has her eyes and sometimes she’ll make an expression I’ve seen on her face. There are times when she is undoubtedly mine and I feel this amazing wave of happiness come over me, but then there are times when she’s something else and I don’t know if it’s just her or if it’s Sarah.” 

“You can’t hate the woman who gave you the best thing in your life.” Anthea summarised. Sherlock said nothing, he just nodded. Anthea took his hand in hers and squeezed it. They sat there together in silence, the occasional chewing sound. While they ate, they held hands, and anyone who saw them would think they were a couple rather than a sister comforting her brother. 

“Should I tell her?” He asked when they finished. 

“You’re the only one who can make that decision, as far as I know, she hasn’t tried to see her but that could change.” 

“If she were to find out on her own, and then found out I knew, she’ll never forgive me.” Sherlock said, suddenly looking extremely vulnerable. Anthea put her hand on his shoulder, She had known the two of them all of Kate’s life and the months leading up to her birth. She had never seen two people so close, even her male friends who had daughters didn’t seem to share the same bond. For so long, it was the two of them against the world, but what would happen to that bond now?

“Do you want my advice?”

“Very much.” He replied honestly. 

“You have never kept anything from her; not the drugs, you told her the full story of you and Sarah where most parents would sugar-coat it. You’ve been honest with your work, even going as far as to tell her what happened when you first met John. The bond you have is there because you’re honest with each other, you can’t let Sarah ruin that.”

“She has to know, doesn’t she?”

“I think she does.” 

He said nothing, just looked at her, really looked at her. Sherlock had always known that Anthea was special. She had been able to keep the job as Mycroft’s assistant much longer than anyone else had. She seemed to care about him, rather than just her paycheck. She made an effort to make sure he was taken care of as well as his paperwork. When they found it was a girl, Anthea went to work on making a blanket and other baby things, turned out she was quite crafty. 

“What if they meet and Kate decides she wants her mum, instead of me.”

“You’re kidding right?” Anthea asked, shocked he would even suggest such a thing. “She would never choose someone over you. I think she’s made that clear.” Memories of that day flooding back, that day they all nearly lost her because she was too much like her father. 

“She’s your daughter and she loves you, nothing can change that.” She assured him.

“Mycroft doesn’t deserve you, none of us do.” He told her. 

“It’s not about who deserves who, it’s about who belongs together.” She told him. “And we all belong together.” 

“Could be nothing.” He tried to assure himself. “Maybe she’ll lose her nerve or something.”

“Exactly.” Anthea responded with a cheery smile. She sent a quick text to Mycroft, who replied that he was still at the flat, waiting for them. She told Sherlock this and the two put their coats back on and headed back to the flat. When they reached the front door, John was there waiting for them. 

“We have a client.” He said. 

“We’ll have to tell them to wait, there are more pressing matters at the moment. I’ll explain when we get in.” Sherlock told him, pushing past to get into the flat. The first thing he noticed was Mary sitting on the couch looking concerned. His first thought was it was something to do with the baby until he saw her. She stood by the fireplace, her dark hair tied into a ponytail. She was just as he remembered her, her face aged the years since he last saw her. She looked different through, healthy. Her eyes were the same, eyes that he had spent seventeen years unable to say no to. 

“She just arrived.” Mycroft said, staring daggers at the newcomer. “Ignoring the obvious fact she was unwelcome and going against our deal.”

“Some deals are meant to be broken.” She said. “And I need his help.” 

“Why are you here?” Sherlock asked. 

“I’m sorry, who is she?” John asked. 

“John, Mary.” Sherlock didn’t take his eyes off the unwanted guest. “Let me introduce you to Sarah, Kate’s mother.”


	4. The Case

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, happy to finally be updating this story. I have fallen a little behind on my other updates but I'll catch up. I've also started a new job which is a lot of fun so I'll need to work around that. Hope you enjoy the new chapter and stay safe everyone.

The Watsons looked at Sherlock and then at Sarah, Sarah who was supposed to be dead. The couple saw the anger on Sherlock’s face, a rage that he was trying to keep under control. Neither of them knew much about the woman standing before them, only that her loss wasn’t really felt in the family. 

“You’re supposed to be dead.” John said dumbly. 

“Things aren’t always what they’re supposed to be.” Sarah replied, with a smile. She looked around the room until her eyes settled on a photo. It was Kate and Molly from the wedding. When Sherlock caught her looking at it, he snatched the frame off the shelf. “I wasn’t lying; I am a client, I have a case.” 

“You want my help? Here’s some advice; go to the police. Now get out.” Sherlock growled.

“You’re the only one who can help, that I’m sure of.” She pushed, clearly desperate for him to listen to her. 

“Why would he help you?” Mary asked, genuinely curious. 

“He won’t be helping me, he’ll be protecting Kate.” Sarah explained. 

“Why does she need protecting?” Sherlock said slowly. He moved to stand in front of her inches away from the face. “What have you done?” 

“Maybe the best way to protect her is if you stayed away like you were told.” Anthea suggested. 

“Believe it or not, I haven’t done anything.” Sarah glared at Anthea. “It’s a long story.”

“We have time.” John told her, arms crossed. Sherlock appreciated the authoritative tone in his voice as it seemed to make Sarah visibly uncomfortable.

“Perhaps it would best if we talked alone, Sherlock.” Sarah eyed John and Mary, hoping for Sherlock to get the hint but it only made him more irritated with her. 

“John and Mary stay.”

“This is family.”

“That’s why they stay.” He growled. “If anyone should leave it’s you, but unfortunately you can’t. Now talk.” Sherlock grabbed a chair from the desk and gestured for her to sit, which she did. 

“When I left London, Mycroft relocated me to Scotland and I went back to rehab, which actually worked this time…”

“I can confirm that.” Mycroft interrupted. 

“You can shut up.” Anthea snapped.

“Anyway, after I got out, I need to find a job. I’m not really qualified for anything, so it wasn’t easy. An old friend of mine who moved to Scotland years before hooked me up with some people. Said it was a shipping company and I basically did office work, like a secretary, I guess. Some of the clients were a bit dodgy, like mafia types or something, but I needed the money.” 

“A while ago I overheard some of them talking, at first I thought it was just business, so I ignored it but then I talked about someone had been killed, someone called ‘M’, never heard of him but he was a big deal apparently, regular client or something like that.” She paused when she saw how everyone’s expressions changed, they all suddenly looked worried. 

“They were pissed, and wanted to get back at whoever did it, they said; ‘the Holmes girl and her nosey father would get what was coming to them.’ I remembered what you did for a living and since I already suspected there was some illegal stuff going on…” Sarah drifted off and looked Sherlock straight in the eye. “Sherlock, has Kate… done something?”

“You have to understand…”

“What the fuck have you done?” She cried. “Did you turn our daughter into a murderer?" 

“Our daughter?” Sherlock said in disbelief. “She’s mine, not yours, not ours, just mine. I’m the one who tucked her in at night, who looked after her when she was sick, I played with her and wiped away her tears. Her first word was ‘Dada’ and never once has she cared for Mother’s day. I’m the one who was there, the one she needs. She has your eyes and that is it.” 

“Your stupid job has put her in danger.” She jabbed a finger at his chest. “She never should have stayed with you.”

“You weren’t exactly fighting for custody.” He reminded her. “She was protecting me.” 

“You made her into a monster.”

“Will both of you stop.” Anthea demanded. “Kate will be home soon, and this is not what she will come home to. Mycroft and I will escort Sarah to her hotel, you can talk later when you have both relaxed.” She took out her phone from her pocket and started typing away before looking up again. 

“But…” Sherlock tried before being cut off again. 

“Sherlock, shut up, security will be following Kate discreetly until further notice, once we know what’s happening, we’ll make a plan.” She assured him before turning to Sarah with an icy glare. “And don’t you ever call Kate a monster, you don’t know her.”

“And whose fault was that?” Sarah eyed Mycroft, who seemed unfazed by her stare. 

“You made the choices that led to that night, don’t blame me.” Mycroft reminded her with a smirk. “She’s right, this is not the right time or place.”

“The car is outside, lets go.” Anthea said. She nodded politely at the Watsons and gestured for Sarah to follow her. “When we get there, don’t leave your hotel unless we say, is that understood? I know you have trouble with doing what you're told.”

“Is this the thanks I get for trying to help?” 

“For all we know you’re lying and are after something.” Anthea argued.

“And we will figure all that out.” Mycroft placed a gentle, assuring hand on Anthea’s shoulder. Without another word, the three of them left the flat. When they heard the front door open and close, John went to the window and watched the three of them get into the car waiting for them. When it was gone, he turned to Sherlock who had his back to him. He had placed the picture of Kate and Molly back on the shelf and was looking at it, probably trying to process everything. 

“Cup of tea?” Mary suggested, sensing the tension. Before anyone could answer she stood up and headed for the kitchen and the sound of the kettle boiling broke the silence.

“What now?” John asked from his spot by the window.

“We drink our tea and then the game is on.”


	5. The game is on

Sherlock, Mary, and John sat in silence while they drank their tea. In all the time he had known Sherlock, John had never seen him this quite when he wasn’t in his mind palace. He and Mary exchanged a look before he finally spoke. 

“So…” He began, before trailing off having no real idea of what to say. 

“So what?” Sherlock replied. 

“Are you going to tell Kate?” Mary asked. 

“Oh that will go down well won’t it? ‘Hello Darling, how was school? By the way, your mother is actually alive, and it seems Moriaty’s people may know you shot him and want you dead. What do you fancy for dinner?’ And then there’s Molly, of course, what do I say to her?”

“One step at a time Sherlock, what I want to know is how they would find out about Kate, Mycroft would have covered everything up wouldn’t he?” John wondered. 

“Moriarty ran a criminal network that we still know little to nothing about.” Sherlock reminded him. “They could have people everywhere, if that’s the case I’m amazed it took them six months, must be getting slow without him running the place.”

“Does she ever talk about it? The shooting?” Mary asked. 

Sherlock said nothing. After Kate had left the hospital, she seemed fine for the first few weeks until the nightmares started. Of course, they could have started sooner, and she just hid it from him, perhaps it wasn’t the best idea to teach her those tricks. Sherlock suggested that she speak to a therapist and when she agreed, Anthea put them in touch with someone who was both brilliant and discrete. He never asked what they talked about unless she wanted to, but each afternoon she came back she seemed lighter. They only went on for a month or two as Kate claimed she couldn’t remember much and didn’t feel there was much to talk about. She also confessed to him that she was a little irritated by the therapist’s desire to talk about her mother, despite her claims that she couldn’t remember her. After this, Sherlock suspected she would have a lot more to talk about. The only ones who knew about her sessions were Sherlock, Molly, Anthea, and by extension Mycroft. She wasn’t embarrassed, of course, it was just personal.  
“When she wants to.” He answered. “And if she feels she’s being watched, she’s keeping it to herself.”  
“You would notice something wouldn’t you?” Mary asked. “I mean… You’re Sherlock Holmes.”  
“I’m well aware of who I am, thank you.” Sherlock gave her a small smile, finishing the last of his tea. “And I would like to think I would, but it took time to even find Moriarty, even then, Kate made the link before I could.” Sherlock sat up and took his mug into the kitchen with John following closely behind him.  
“So, what will you say to Molly?” John asked. “You think she’ll be worried about Sarah?”  
“She shouldn’t be since the few times I’ve mentioned her over the years were not fondly. She has no reason to be threatened.”  
“She is still the mother of your child, there’s a relationship.”  
“There was no relationship, John. We were high and horny, would have slept with anyone, just so happened to be each other which led to a pregnancy. I’d have slept with you if I could have.”  
“I’m out of your league.” John teased him.  
“You wouldn’t be able to resist me,” Sherlock assured him and two burst out laughing.  
“Sarah is her mother and that’s it. Molly is…Everything, you know what I mean?” John turned back to the living room where Mary was sitting. Yes, he knew exactly what Sherlock meant.  
“I will tell Molly, but Kate needs to know first. She really should have known before you and Mary but…”  
“We’ll pretend we don’t know anything if that helps.” John offered. “So what’s the next step?”  
“I’ll talk to her this evening, tell them I’m on a case, so I’m not really lying.”  
“What me to come?”  
“Do you want to come?”  
“Just don’t think you two should be alone together, could volatile.” After watching the tension between the two of them earlier, John couldn’t help but feel if the two were left alone then one of them would not be leaving the hotel, and his money would have been on Sherlock, who was nodding his head, clearly agreeing with his statement.  
Not long after that Kate came in, happy to see John and Mary were there too. The three adults acted as if nothing had happened and listen to her happily chat about her day. If she could sense something was off about them, she didn’t say anything. Eventually, Sherlock left Kate with some money and told her to order pizza for dinner and that Molly would be home in an hour or so.  
“John and I are going out for a case, shouldn’t be too late.”  
“Can I help?”  
“Nothing too interesting I’m afraid.” He leaned over and kiss her head. “Just stay in okay, and make sure the door is locked.”  
This wasn’t an unusual request from her dad, frankly, it was a perfectly normal thing for a parent to ask a child, but the look on his face and the tone of his voice, how persistent he was, made her feel that whatever this case was it was certainly more interesting then he made it out to be. Nevertheless, she promised to do as he said, and the three adults left the flat wishing her goodnight and a final reminder to lock the door. When they were outside Sherlock held back for a second until he heard the satisfying click of the lock. Sherlock hailed a taxi and requested that the driver goes to the Watson address first. While they drove, he texted Mycroft asking for the hotel and room number of Sarah, who immediately texted back with the information. Once Mary was dropped off, he gave the driver the hotel name Mycroft had texted him earlier and the rest of the drive was in silence.  
Once they arrived, they went straight to the floor where Sarah’s room was. Sherlock knocked on the door and it was open a crack when she saw who it was Sarah opened the door wide and invited them in. John and Sherlock took a moment to look around the room; there were clothes hanging up in the wardrobe, so she wasn’t expecting to leave in a hurry. There was a pizza box with half-eaten pizza on the bed and a few cans of Coke.  
“You hungry?” She asked, gesturing to the leftover pizza.  
“Don’t eat when I’m on a case,” Sherlock replied, while John politely declined.  
“Do you believe me?”  
“I won’t take the risk where Kate is involved.”  
“Of course.” She nodded.  
“Your hair suits you.” He said.  
“Thanks. Did it a few years ago, needed a change. Needs a touch-up.” She touched the top where some blonde roots were coming in. She turned to John. “I read some of your blog, it’s pretty good.”  
“Thank you.”  
“Are you positive what you overheard was a threat to Kate?” Sherlock asked, wanting to get down to business.  
“Very, I remembered you were a detective and I’ve never come across another Holmes.” She explained, taking a seat on the bed while the men remained standing. “I just never expected it was because of a… murder.”  
“It was self-defense, he shot at her.” Sherlock snapped. “She did the world a favor.”  
“She was shot?” Sarah asked in disbelief,  
“In the shoulder, they were worried for a while, but she pulled through.”  
“I didn’t know that.”  
“No, you just jumped straight to calling her a monster,” John said, crossing his arms. She had the decency to look ashamed of herself at his words.  
“You care about her too I take it?”  
“Very much so,” John replied he pulled out a small notebook from his pocket that he kept for making notes. “Why not get in contact with Mycroft if you were worried? I mean you weren’t meant to come back to London as part of the deal.”  
“I wanted to be sure you would do something, so I came in person.”  
“Mycroft said you had been back for some time. Why not come straight away?” Sherlock asked.  
“The shipping company I worked for had a client in London, I wanted to see if I could gather more information before I came to you.”  
“And?”  
“I couldn’t find anything.” She admitted sheepishly.  
“You could have wasted valuable time.” Sherlock scolded. He doubted she would have had much luck anyway as the chance of her overhearing anything more than she already had was slim. Criminal networks don't go undetected for nothing, but he took a little pleasure from her defeated expression. “Doesn’t matter now, we’ll need to find them and find out how they know Kate killed him.”  
“How did she end doing that? You said she was protecting you.” Sarah asked, curious.  
“It seemed I had been getting too close to his organization and he confronted John and I,” Sherlock explained, thinking back to that day all those months ago at the pool. “He knew about Kate and used her against me, threatened to kill us and her friend if she didn’t come to him. She told me later that his plan was to kill her so I would be too broken to chase after him, clearly it didn’t quite end the way he wanted.”  
“So it was her or him?” She clarified, nodding her head in acceptance.  
“He did say it was self-defense.” John pointed out. “We’ll need to look into the people who worked for Mycroft and would have known about the whole thing, there must be a mole. Will he tell us that?”  
“I’ll just remind him his favorite niece is in danger, that should loosen him up. He’s probably looking into it as we speak.”  
“Are you going to tell her?”  
“That you’re alive or that her life may be in danger?”  
“Both.”  
“I intend to, I’ve never hide anything from her, and I won’t start now.”  
“What about that woman in the photo with her? The one in yellow?”  
“That’s Molly, she’ll need to know too.”  
“Girlfriend?” Sarah teased, most likely expecting the answer to be ‘no’.  
“Yes, going on six months.”  
“Thought you were married to your work.”  
“I met someone else.”  
“I thought his parents would make us get married when we found out I was pregnant.” She told John. “Big brother working for the government, thought they would have wanted to avoid a scandal. Part of me was thinking I’d struck gold.”  
“They’re not that old fashioned,” Sherlock said. “An illegitimate child wouldn’t have been the worst thing I could have done. Besides they could see we would have killed each other.”  
“Did you ever consider… you know…?” John trailed off not wanting to say the word, despite being a medical professional.  
“Abortion?” Sarah filled in and John nodded. Sherlock and Sarah looked at each other. “They offered, I was still in the early stages. No one pressured me to keep her, in any normal circumstances I would have agreed but Sherlock changed my mind.”  
“I never said anything to you,” Sherlock argued. When it was confirmed that they were expecting, he suddenly had this picture in his head of him holding a baby, being a father and he surprised himself with how much he really wanted it to become a reality. However, no matter how much he wanted it to be real, he didn’t want to enforce anything on Sarah, it was her body and if she didn’t want to put herself through that he wouldn’t make her. When she said she would go through with the pregnancy, he waited until he was alone to celebrate.  
“You didn’t have to, I saw it on your face. You wanted the baby and I couldn’t think of any reason to deny you of that. I thought I would be able to do at least one really decent thing in my life.” She suddenly smiled as a memory came to her. “Your face when the doctor said it was a girl, you looked so happy.”  
“I was worried a boy might be too much like his uncle,” Sherlock said, smiling himself as he also remembered that day.  
“Instead you got a daughter who's just as mad as you are,” John said.  
“I knew then I’d done the right thing, I might not have been able to be a mother, but he could certainly be a father.”  
“You were on the fence about being a mother.” He reminded her. “Always coming in and out for the first few months.”  
“You had full custody.” She argued as if he was the one stopping her from being a mother rather than her own actions.  
“That was your idea I was happy to share.” He reminded her. “You had visitation, but we’d plan something, and you wouldn’t show up.” All those afternoons where they would plan a lunch or play date and she wouldn’t arrive and even when she did, she would act awkwardly, like she was being forced to spend time with a friend’s baby rather than her own child and this was before she started using again.  
“I suppose I wasn’t just wasn’t cut out for it. Worked out in the end, Mycroft tells me she’s doing well.”  
“He actually told you about her?” John asked, half expecting Mycroft to hide any information about Kate from her like he would state secrets.  
“It was like getting blood out of a stone, but he indulged me. He said she was clever but emotional.”  
“She is, we’re all very proud of her,” Sherlock told her, while John nodded in agreement. “It will be her decision if she meets you through.”  
“Can’t you make her? My father wouldn’t have taken no for an answer.”  
“And look how good you turned out.” The words dripping with sarcasm. “Besides, I wouldn’t want to force your company on my worst enemy.”  
So how do we proceed with the case?” Jonh butted in, wanting to avoid another argument like at the flat.  
“See what we find about Mycroft’s people, not many would have known so that won’t take long, We’ll have to ask if she’s noticed anything, could have done just not said anything, and when Molly is told I’ll ask her too.”  
“Your girlfriend not going to feel weird about me being around?” Her smirk made sherlock, for the first time in his life, want to punch a woman.  
“She has no reason to, trust me,” Sherlock assured her.  
As the two glared at each John couldn’t help but feel like this case was going to much harder than he first believed. Not because they were most likely dealing with members of a criminal organization that appeared to be going through a power vacuum, but because he felt he would probably have to stop these two from killing each other.


	6. I have to tell you something

Kate was lying on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. Molly had come home now and was washing the smell of corpses off while they waited for the pizza to arrive. He told her that John and Sherlock were working on a case and thought nothing of it. That was Kate’s problem, it was normal, but it wasn’t at the same time. This wasn’t the first time he had worked on a case at night without her, but all those other times he had told her what it was about. The fact he was taking it on after telling her it wasn’t interesting was a red flag, he had kicked potential clients out mid-sentence because they bored him. So, what was going on? 

The doorbell rang and Kate went down to pay for the food. When she came back up, Molly was waiting for her, dressed in her pajamas. While they ate, they talked about their day and watched some crime documentary. Kate enjoyed the time the two of them spent together. Despite the fact she was now dating Sherlock, nothing really changed between the two of them, they were still able to talk easily and would sometimes gang up on Sherlock who would walk away at times, mumbling about betrayal and ungrateful children. 

“Did your dad say when he would be back?” Molly asked as she cleared the empty boxes away. 

“No, but John is with him so he might not be out too long.”

“I can’t believe they’re having a baby.” She smiled. “I bet John is going to have so many questions for your dad when the time comes.” 

“You think?” 

“Well, he doesn’t know any other parents and my mum always said that you should never take advice from other parents unless you actually know what their child is like, and he knows you.”

“He’d probably be too worried the advice would lead them turning too much like me and dad, running around solving dangerous crimes.” Kate teased, imaging them all at a crime scene but with John wearing a baby carrier. “Maybe when they grow up, they can be my blogger.” 

“A second-generation crime-solving duo, adorable.” 

“Chasing after us with grey hair, while you and Mary laugh at them.” Kate continued laughing, the idea of their family growing making her forget all about her previous worries.

It was late when Sherlock and John finally got into a taxi to go home. They had questioned Sarah more about the people she worked with and what else she had noticed over the years that could be related to the network. By the time they got in the taxi, they were both ready for their beds. That was another thing that had changed since his relationship with Molly, Sherlock had gotten into a more reliable sleep schedule, he had found curling up with her to be very relaxing while he would catalog whatever new information he had collected into his mind palace before falling asleep with her. 

“You want some help tomorrow or…?” John asked. 

“I’ll think of something.” Sherlock replied, staring out the window. 

“Well, good luck and give Molly my love.” He said, climbing out when the taxi reached his house. 

“Give mine to Mary.” 

When they reached Baker Street, Sherlock paid the driver and quietly climbed the stairs to the flat after double-checking the door was locked behind him. He hung up his coat and checked on Kate, who was sleeping soundly. As he gently tucked the blankets around her, he briefly wondered if it would the best thing to tell her the full extent of what was going o but he quickly pushed that thought away, if she were to find out on her own she would never forgive him and it could have a disastrous effect on their relationship. No, it was best she hears it from him, they would both have to. 

Despite what he told John, he had no idea how Molly would react. He truly did believe that she wouldn’t feel threatened as he had explained on more than one occasion that they were never in an actual relationship, but he was still learning what it meant to be in a relationship and how the female mind really worked, so there was still uncertainty. Deciding it would be better if he approached tomorrow with a clearer mind, he quietly left the room and went into his own. After washing and changing he crawled into bed with Molly and pulled her close. Molly stirred and rolled over to face him. 

“Did I wake you?” He whispered.

“Not really, I can’t sleep without you anyway.” Even in the dark, he knew she would be blushing. 

“How romantic.” He leaned over and gave her a sweet kiss. 

“Everything okay with your case?” Molly asked when they pulled apart. 

“It’s a complicated one, I’ll explain more in the morning.”

“You know I’ll help you no matter what right?” She stroked his cheek, making him feel completely at ease. 

“I know.” He assured her, having never doubted her before. “I love you.” 

“I love you too.” She gave him one last kiss before snuggling into his chest and falling asleep quickly now that he was home. Sherlock stayed awake for a little longer, listening to her soft breathing which soon lulled him to sleep, all thoughts of not so dead people and criminal networks far from his mind, at least until the morning. 

The next morning came too quickly and Sherlock truly dreaded getting out of bed. The cold side of the bed and the noise coming from the kitchen told him that at least Molly was awake. He reluctantly got out of bed and made his way to the kitchen. Kate was also awake, and he decided that it was time to rip the bandage off. 

“I have to talk to you both.” He said in way of greeting. 

“Good morning to you too.” Kate smiled but when she saw his face, it quickly fell. “what is it?”

“Mycroft came over yesterday and told me something that you both need to know.” He took a deep breath. “He told me that Sarah is alive.”

“Sarah as in…” Molly questioned, she cautiously looked at Kate who seemed lifeless. The color had drained from her face and her mouth was open slightly. Her face was blank, and  
Sherlock guessed this must have been what he looked like when he was ‘buffering’ as John liked to put it. He was right, it was quite worrying. After a few moments of painful silence, Kate slammed her mug of tea on the table, its contents spilling out. 

“Kate?”

“You’ve lied to me my whole life.” She accused. 

“No, I didn’t.” Sherlock promised her. “He lied to me too. When he called me that night, she had died but they were able to bring her back.”

“Why wouldn’t he tell you?” Molly asked.

“He saw an opportunity.” Sherlock sneered remembering his brother’s words from the day before. He then went on to tell them what Mycroft had said to him; about the deal and how he believed he was doing the right thing. He told them how she had come back to London because she believed the company, she worked for also worked for Moriaty’s network and they somehow knew Kate had killed him. 

“Was that where you were last night?” Molly asked. Sherlock nodded, not taking his eyes off Kate whose anger seemed to grow as he told her what he knew. Her mouth was a straight line as if she was trying to hold back her words. Despite the rage on her face, her eyes were red and shiny. As Sherlock reached out to comfort her, she slapped it away and stood up. 

“You should have told me. You should have told me the moment I came home yesterday.”

“I’m sorry….”

“How dare you keep this from me. When you didn’t tell me about the case, I knew something was wrong, but I never would have suspected this.” The tears began streaming down her face and it pained both Molly and Sherlock to see her like this.

“Kate…” Sherlock tried again to touch her again, but she moved out of his reach.

“Don’t.” She snapped before running down the hall to her bedroom and slamming the door behind her. Sherlock stormed into the living room and dropped into his chair. His face in his hand as he thoughts of all the ways that could have gone better. He felt a gentle hand on his shoulder and looked to see Molly smiling at him. He gently pulled her into his lap and hid his face in her hair. 

“Do you want to yell at me too?”

“I think you’ve had enough, at least until lunchtime.” 

“I’m sorry I didn’t say anything last night when you asked.”

“Don’t be, it would have been worse if I had known before her even if it was only by a few hours.”

“Once this is solved, she can go away, and we’ll never see her again.” Sherlock assured her. 

“I’m not worried you know.” She told him and she started to stroke her fingers throw his hair. “Well about Sarah being here, the possibility of someone coming after Kate is another thing.” 

“I knew you wouldn’t be.” She noticed how relieved he sounded. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” She kissed his curls and signed. “So, what now? Tell John and Mary?”

“They already know, they were here when Sarah came to yesterday. Mycroft and Anthea were there too. I suppose right now we wait to see what I can find.”

“Does she want to see Kate?”

“Yes, but I said it was Kate’s choice.” He suddenly went tense and his grip on Molly tightened. She asked what was wrong. “She called her a monster when I had to tell her Kate killed Moriarty.” 

“What? How could she say that when she doesn’t know the whole story?”

“If I had my way the two will never meet, but I can’t guarantee that.”

Molly paused her stroking and made him lift his head to look her in the eye. She took a moment to admire his features; flawless cheekbones, eyes that were constantly switching from green to blue, and lips that she had once fantasized about kissing before it finally came to be a reality. This beautiful man who also had a beautiful heart that, although he would try to deny it, overflowed with love for the people he cared about. Molly felt privileged to be one of the recipients of that love, but what always sent her heart aflutter was the love he showed Kate. 

Ever since that first day when he pulled her into his lap to show her the microscope, she had loved to see his parental side. While her own father was lovely and she would always love him, he had rules and expected the authority that came with being her father to be enough. Sherlock and Kate’s bond was different, a bond made of mutual respect and one of the purest forms of love. She was a child, but Sherlock would not treat her one, as he knew better than anyone how her mind truly worked and what she could handle. ‘I’m your father’ was never an answer, rather pure undeniable logic when he had to deny her. She was upset and she had every right to be, but she would calm down and eventually come out to talk, Molly was confident of that. Nothing could come between them, she wouldn’t let it.


	7. Parenting advice

Not to sound dramatic, but Kate had never been this angry in her while life. She wasn’t even sure who she was angry at; her uncle for keeping this from her, her father for not telling her straight away, perhaps she should direct her anger toward Sarah for not being dead in the first place. She dropped on her bed as if all her energy had been sucked out. After she slammed the door on her dad, she wanted to break something, anything, she didn’t care what, she just wanted to destroy something. She settled for pushing over a stake of books and pushing the papers off her desk. In life, there are few certainties as people and the world was so unpredictable, but there were some things that she was absolutely confident in; she loved her father, the sky was blue, John took his tea without sugar, Molly had a favorite lab coat, the list went on. Until twenty minutes ago she would have had ‘my mother is dead’ on that list but it seemed the world was truly a strange place. 

She actually knew very little about the woman who gave birth to her. Sherlock had explained how she didn’t have any family left, having lost her parents a few years before she had got pregnant and being an only child. She never told her dad how she first got into drugs. Kate was ten when she first asked if she looked like her mother, to which her father replied; ‘only in the eyes, the rest is all me’, This seemed to make him very happy which, in turn, made Kate happy. She was the one mystery Kate never had any interest in solving, but it seemed that the universe had other plans for her. 

John Watson was used to walking into 221B and coming across strange sights. Experiments on body parts, chemical explosion, he had even walked in on Sherlock and Molly making out on the couch like teenagers, a sight he truly wished he could unsee. The sight that greeted him that day was Sherlock sitting on the floor outside of Kate’s room, still in his pajamas and two empty mugs next to him.

“Sherlock…?”

“She knows.” He greeted. “She locked herself in a few hours ago.”

“I see.”

“Want some parenting advice? Don’t let them have locks on their doors, in fact, don’t give them doors at all. Just put up curtains.” 

“Well.” John began, taking a seat on the floor next to his friend. “I might need more advice than I thought I would.” prompted by Sherlock’s confused expression, he continued. “We had a scan yesterday, meant to tell you but… You know.”

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah, everything is fine; she’s fine.”

“It’s a girl?” Sherlock nodded his approval. “Girls are best.”

“Not like you can compare.”

“Well, I remember what Mycroft and I were like as children, trust me, girls are easier.” Sherlock turned to face the door. “WHEN THEY’RE NOT BEING DIFFICULT.”

YOU’RE ONE TO TALK.” Kate shouted from inside her room. “DOES JOHN KNOW TOO? JUST GREAT.”

“HE WAS COLLATERAL. THEY WERE ALREADY HERE.” 

“KATE, IF YOU COME OUT, I’LL SHOW YOU THE SONOGRAM PHOTOS.” John called out. Sherlock turned to him with a look of disbelieve, did he really think that would work. Suddenly, the door opened, and Kate popped her head out, focusing on John and completely ignoring her father. 

“You went for a scan?”

“Yeah, want to see?” She nodded and followed him to the living room, with Sherlock close behind them. John and Kate sat on the couch, looking over the photos. While she gushed over how cute they were, Sherlock thought back to the first scan he and Sarah went to. This little grey blob, with their little arms and legs. Logic told him that beauty was a social construct that was based on individual experiences, but even he couldn’t deny the beauty this little blob possessed. Once they were done, Kate turned to her father awkwardly, appearing to be ashamed of her outburst. Sensing the tension and wanting to escape so they could talk, John asked if anyone wanted tea and then got up before anyone could answer.

“Where’s Molly?” 

“Had some errands to run before her shift tonight.” 

“Right.”

They were silent for a few minutes, fat toom long for John who was straining to hear what was going on in the kitchen, or rather what was not being said. After they were quiet for far too long, he had had enough. If they were to get through this, then the two would have to form a united front. He understood how Kate felt, okay he didn’t really but who could? Either way, the last thing they needed was for Sherlock and Kate to be cold with each other. 

“For God’s sake you two.” He shouted coming back in with his tea. “I don’t think you two have ever been this quiet since I met you.”

“He should have told me straight away.”

“Love, I was with him.” John explained, taking a seat in his old chair. “What could he say? He didn’t have the full story yet and you know he likes to have all the answers.”

“Why did you have to go with him? Why couldn’t I have come?”

“You don’t want to meet her.” Sherlock assured her. “Nothing I told you about her was a lie, she’s not a good person and she doesn’t deserve to know you.”

“I don’t know what I want.” She confessed, feeling defeated and hating this feeling of uncertainty that was plaguing her. “I just… I don’t know… whose grave is that?”

“Sorry?”

“The grave. Sometimes I go to the cemetery to think but I’ve never gone over to her grave, or at least what I thought was her grave, who's buried there?”

“I can’t answer that just yet.” Sherlock replied, hating himself for not thinking to ask that. 

“She came here because she thinks I’m in trouble? Does she know what I’ve done?”

“Yes.” Sherlock replied through gritted teeth as he thought of what else was talked about. 

“What is it?” She asked, noticing her father’s discomfort.

“Just some of the other things she said yesterday. She had the gall to call you ‘our daughter’.”

“I mean technically…” Kate trailed off confused until Sherlock cut her off. 

“No, you’re mine.” He asserted. “Everything about you is a Holmes. Just because she gave you half your chromosomes and your eyes does not mean she deserves to call you her daughter. You’re mine.”

“And you’re mine.” Kate felt a tear fall down her cheek and she moved to hug Sherlock, who wrapped his arms around her protectively. “I want everything to go back to the way it was yesterday morning, the three of us and then there’s the baby.” She cried harder into his chest, drenching his shirt but he didn’t care. 

“I know. When this is solved and you’re safe, everything will go back to normal.” He assured her. He pulled away and moved a lock of hair behind her ear. “You protected me and now I’ll do it for you. Of course, I should have been the one to do it last time.” 

“Are you not over that by now?” Kate teased wiping the last of her tears. John smiled at the pair and sipped his tea, happy to hear at least one problem had been sorted.

“Take me to meet her.” Kate announced which caused Sherlock’s mouth to drop to the floor and John to choke on his tea.

“Pardon?” John coughed as the tea went down the wrong pipe. 

“The best way to solve this is if we all know what we’re up against,” She reasoned. “Therefore, I should meet her.” 

“Are you positive this is what you want?” Sherlock asked

“Honestly, I don’t want to because I don’t want any of this to be going on, but I know I need to. So please Dad.” 

He signed. He knew he couldn’t force them to meet, not like Sarah claimed her father would have done, to be honest, he wasn’t too sure he wanted them to meet. Even if she was her mother, Sarah was not what you would call a good influence, and no matter how much she may claim to have changed, calling your own child a monster was never a good start. Then again, he could not deny her logic, they would all have to be on the same page.

“Get dressed.” He gestured to her pajamas, having run into her room early that morning and completely forgetting to get dress herself. “I’ll call Molly and then we’ll go see her.”  
Kate nodded and went back to her room to get ready. After assuring John that this was the right thing to do, he went to his own room to get ready. Once dressed, he picked up to phone to call Molly and tell her the plan. 

“Hello, Love.” She greeted. 

“Hey, so Kate has come out of her room and wants to meet Sarah, so John and I are going to take her.” He told her. 

“Really?” He couldn’t help but notice the strain in her voice like she was worried about something.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah, um listen how long do you think you’ll be?”

“It's not too far from Baker Street. Why, did you want to do something before work?”

“No, I talked to Mike, said I had some family problems, so he’s got someone else to cover. I’m owed a few anyway.” In the background, Sherlock could hear the usual chatter but then he heard a voice that he would recognize anywhere. 

“Are you with Anthea?”

“Yes.” She confessed, sounding slightly guilty. 

“Where are you?” 

“Outside Sarah’s hotel.”


End file.
